Sandy Snell-Dobert or Amy Bartlett
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October proved to be another record-breaking month for Yellowstone, breaking the 4 million mark in visits for 2015. Yellowstone hosted 4,066,191 recreational visits in the first ten months of 2015, an increase of 16.72% over last year and 11.70% over the previous top record year in 2010. The park surpassed the previous October record set last year by 29.37%, with 252,013 recreational visits last month.
Each of the park’s five entrances showed an increase in vehicles for the month of October compared to 2014 levels, with the largest increases at the South, West, and North entrances. The park also saw a marked increase in the number of buses and bus passengers during the shoulder season months of April, May, and October. October had an increase of 56% in bus numbers and an increase of 46% in the number of passengers on the buses compared to October 2014 numbers.
The unseasonably warm October weather may have played a role in the large increase in October visitation numbers. In addition, the National Park Service’s “Find Your Park" public awareness campaign, marketing and tourism promotions by the states of Montana and Wyoming, and lower gas prices may have influenced the record number of visits to Yellowstone this year.
The increase in visitation to Yellowstone this year brought an increase in the demands on park staff, park facilities, and the resources. This fall, park management held listening sessions with park staff and neighboring communities to learn about the increased impacts from the higher visitation. Over the next few months, the park will focus on what changes can be made prior to next summer season, as well as in future years to improve the visitor experience while protecting park resources.
Recreational
Visits
2015
Recreational
Visits
2014
Change
January
28,091
26,778
+ 8.42 %
February
34,343
28,233
+ 21.64 %
March
22,989
18,778
+ 22.43 %
April
46,600
31,356
+ 48.61 %
May
386,064
310,039
+ 24.52 %
June
780,768
669,642
+ 16.59 %
July
980,702
858,857
+ 14.19 %
August
854,409
773,357
+ 10.48 %
September
680,213
571,764
+ 18.97 %
October
252,013
194,804
+ 29.37 %
Total Year-To-Date
4,066,191
3,159,485
+ 16.72 %
Detailed park visitation information and additional information on how these statistics are calculated is available online at https://irma.nps.gov/Stats/Reports/Park.
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About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 408 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov.
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Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
